20.3.09

En La Manana

This week I thought to reorganize how we do school. Not too much, just at an administrative level that would give my kids more responsibility and flexibility in their work. So I made this list of everything they do (Reading, Math, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Spanish, Geography, Chemistry Copy Work and so on) and put the list down the left-hand side of a chart. Next to each entry, I put the number of times it needs to be done.

When I put Spanish 4x, I thought I was pushing it. We haven't particularly made strides with the curriculum I have. It's kind of dull and too often we skip it. I told the kids they could do Spanish any way they like, just so I see something written in the little chart box four times a week.

Well. They pulled out the Spanish picture dictionary and began drawing and labeling pictures in their notebooks, writing stories, and by week's end my Little One even wrote a poem. My own Spanish is a bit hit-or-miss, so I'm sure I haven't provided full proofreading backup here, but this is the poem... right on time for Random Acts of Poetry...

I saw an alligator in the bathtub and a dog in the shower, five pelicans on my flashlight, and foxes in the garbage can, and a chicken in the garage, and chicks in my flower garden. A giraffe in my groceries, a goose in first grade... two geese in second grade! And goats in the hall, a firefly in a ham sandwich... cows in the honey, a camel in my jacket, insects in my house. A deer in the jam, and a horse in the jelly. A fish in the juice, a kangaroo in the keyhole. Yikes!